Evaluation of a one-question interview for depression in a radiation oncology department in Japan

This study aims to clarify the validity of the brief screening measure of depression in Japan. It was the single-item interview "Are you depressed?" that provided a reliable and remarkable accurate screen in North America. The study was conducted on 282 participants receiving radiotherapy for cancer. The criterion diagnosis were given by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-(SCID). On the basis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, we compared the results obtained using single-item interview with major and minor depressive disorders defined by DSM-TR and calculated the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratio (LR). The result of the present study indicated a sensitivity of 42% (95% CI 22-61%) and a specificity of 86% (95% CI 82-91%), and LR of 3.1. In conclusion, single-item interview "Are you depressed?" did not have sufficient sensitivity.